Newssies

NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry informed Parliament that India’s healthcare infrastructure continues to lag behind international standards, with the country not meeting the World Health Organization’s recommended number of hospital beds despite increasing patient demand nationwide. As per a report in TOI, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav stated in the Rajya Sabha that although the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022 require a minimum of one hospital bed per 1,000 people, many states have yet to achieve even this baseline and remain significantly below the WHO guideline of 3.5 beds per 1,000 population.

Data from the government’s annual Rural Health Statistics and the latest Health Dynamics of India report reveal considerable variation across states, with some of the most populous states experiencing the largest shortfalls. Regarding medical personnel, Jadhav noted that India has 1.386 million registered allopathic doctors and 751,000 AYUSH practitioners. Assuming 80% availability, this results in a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:811. The nursing workforce comprises approximately 4.294 million individuals, supported by 5,253 institutions that produce nearly 387,000 nurses annually; however, substantial vacancies persist in government hospitals.

Despite growth over the past decade—medical colleges increasing from 387 to 818, MBBS seats rising from 51,348 to 128,875, and postgraduate seats expanding from 31,185 to 82,059—several states still face shortages of doctors, nurses, and paramedics at the operational level. The government has established State Cancer Institutes, Tertiary Cancer Centres, and oncology services in all new AIIMS campuses, but Jadhav acknowledged that public health capacity remains uneven, with rural districts and smaller states falling short of IPHS standards.

He emphasized that addressing vacancies, enhancing infrastructure at district and community health centers, and ensuring state compliance with national norms will be essential steps as India aims to bridge one of the largest healthcare infrastructure gaps globally.